COMPARED
Miro is a widely used online whiteboard. For root cause analysis it offers templates, among them a fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram and five whys, that a team fills in together on a shared canvas. It is flexible: the template gives a structure, and the team decides how to use it.
True Causes is not a canvas but a method with rules. People write causes alone before seeing anyone else's, each cause-and-effect link is asked as a separate question, and a link goes on the map only when three quarters of the votes agree. The structure is not drawn by whoever holds the pen; it is decided pair by pair.
| Miro | True Causes | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A whiteboard with root cause analysis templates | A structured method, run online |
| How causes are linked | Drawn by the team on the canvas | Voted one pair at a time; three quarters to count |
| Whose view dominates | Depends on facilitation; names are visible | Everyone writes alone first; nobody is named |
| Disagreement | Resolved in conversation, or left off the board | A link counts at three quarters of the votes cast; a split is published as disputed |
| Scale | Best for a team around one board | Rooms of up to 100 people free; any number of rooms on one question, their maps merged |
| Cost | Free plan and paid plans | Free up to 100 people per room; nonprofits free on approval; paid plans for organisations |
For a quick team exercise where everyone knows each other and the problem is fairly contained, or when root cause analysis is one activity among many on the same board.
When the problem is complex, the people who understand it are spread across roles or sites, or rank and personality would shape a whiteboard. See also: root cause analysis methods compared.
Checked in September 2026. Product names belong to their owners. If anything here about another product is out of date or unfair, write to hello@mg.truecauses.org and we will correct it.